It was nice to see quite a few veteran trainers and owners win races at Woodbine last week. While a great number of the successful stables have gone by the wayside – Sam-Son and Kinghaven, plus trainers such as Norm McKnight, Mike Doyle, Roger Attfield, etc. – some top horsepeople remain.
JOHN ROSS, in his 38th year of training, sent out his second winner from his sixth starter during the Woodbine card on a rainy Sunday. KAMASI (Bolt d’Oro – Hip Hop N Jazz by Speightstown) led from start to finish to win a $40,000 maiden claiming race at 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.04. Owned and bred by the Kemp family’s Ballycroy Bloodstock, Kamasi was ridden by Pietro Moran.
This was Ross’s 628th winner of his career and he has a solid 16 percent win rate for his career.
Sunday’s rain made the Tapeta surface (races were off the grass) decidedly speed-favouring – only one horse did not lead all the way and that was Canuck Racing’s Twenty Two Soles.
King’s Plate contender POWELL RIVER went fast on the pace in a 1 1/16 mile maiden special weight and hung on to win in 1:45 for Chiefswood Stable and trainer Katerina Vassilieva. The son of Justify was making his third career start and Ryan Munger was the winning rider.
Chiefswood started its highly-regarded filly COOL TIMES (Not This Time) in a maiden special weight on Saturday, but that gal was second with a 71 Beyer Figure.
One of the faster winners on Sunday, aided by the bias, was EL MAGNATE, who remained unbeaten after two starts with a sizzling win in 1:16.14 for 6 1/2 furlongs. The son of Into Mischief is owned by M Racing Group and trained by Mark Casse.
Trainer HAROLD LADOUCEUR grabbed his first win when LOVER BOY MO raced on the lead all the way to win a maiden special weight. This was the second winner for apprentice rider Christoff Douglas.
Friday racing
GEORGE BILLERS and his Oak Run Stable won for the 45th time (since 2000) when HALCON NEGRO broke through for his maiden win on Friday, his 26th attempt. The dark bay five-year-old bred by BHMFR Ltd. (Blondes Have More Fun) blew by his rivals and won by 7 3/4 lengths for a 54 Beyer Figure, his best career number.
Billers has been a longtime trainer at Woodbine with a small stable while picking up at least one win most years.
Twin Bullets Stable’s PAYNES SPIRIT posted an 85 Beyer Figure, a career best, for his win in 1:10.13. He won a long stretch battle with an overbet Philip Banks to take the optional claiming race, his third career. Paynes Spirit is trained by Julia Carey.
Also on Friday, CONN SMYTHE (GB) became the first three-time winner of the meeting, taking another claiming race for trainer Bill Tharrenos.
Sadly, there was a breakdown at Woodbine on Thursday when NOT A CARE, a maiden owned by Overheath Stable, went wrong after the wire as he was charging hard under the whip to get into a photo finish for third. Not a Care was euthanized.
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